Opposition parties in Tunisia are accusing the Islamist Ennahda Movement, which has the largest bloc in parliament, of seeking a power grab through expanding the legislative body’s role as an authority in the North African country.
Ennahda is pushing for the establishment of a specialized parliamentary police service to protect lawmakers. Currently, presidential security detail safeguards the assembly and its members.
The Heart of Tunisia party, Ennahda’s political ally, has also made the same request.
This follows Tuesday’s incident of Free Destourian Party (FDP) lawmakers protesting at the assembly using speakers.
Ennahda leader Rafiq Abdul Salam said that a parliamentary security taskforce will limit the hooliganism of the likes of Abir Moussi, the president of the FDP.
Observers say that the push for having parliamentary police is another example of Ennahda consolidating the notion that parliament is Tunisia’s actual authority.
They warn that Abdul Salam’s call for splitting parliamentary security from presidential protection reflects Ennahda’s intentions of establishing parliament as an independent authority and a hub for decision making in the country.
These concerns were further amplified by recent statements made by Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, who is also the co-founder of Ennahda.
“We are however in a parliamentary system, and the role of the President of the Republic is purely symbolic,” Ghannouchi said when commenting on President Kais Saied’s rejection of the cabinet reshuffle made by Prime Minister Hichem El Mechichi over corruption charges pursuing a number of ministers.
This prompted several parliamentary blocs and independent lawmakers to begin signing a bill of withdrawal of confidence from Ghannouchi in preparation for submitting it to a vote in a plenary session.
FDP’s Moussi, announced, in a video clip published on Tuesday evening, that parliamentary blocs and a number of independent MPs were convinced of the need to accelerate the withdrawal of confidence from Ghannouchi after they knew his truth and his transgressions that may threaten the vital interests of the country and its national security.
According to article 51 of the bylaw of the parliament in Tunisia, MPs may withdraw confidence from the speaker or one of his deputies with the approval of the absolute majority of the MPs based on a reasoned written request submitted to the parliament office of at least one-third of the members (73 signatures).
